Axemas 2: Blood Slay

It's a tough life in my racket. Hey folks back again for another blog and this time around director/writer/producer/actor John Ward (Chapman's Storage: Fake Commercial, Axemas, Frames of Fear 2, and Meathook Massacre 4) has entrusted me to give his newest creation of the Axemas series a review. Will it be as enjoyable as the first? Dare we hope it surpasses the original? This is Axemas 2: Blood Slay.

A holly, jolly homicide!

Under Dark Park Films and Always Out of The Box Entertainment we open with some good VST for soundtrack and eerie chords as grumpily guy in mid-twenties is chucking the Christmas Tree when he is grappled by Uncle Kris (Drew Marvick of Astro Zombies: M4- Invaders from Cyberspace, Scared to Death, Bob Freeman: Exterminator for Hire, Get Hansel!, It Stains the Sands Red and Pool Party Massacre) and feel some Silent Night Deadly Night 2 vibes are coming our way. Hopefully not awesomely bad as Eric Freeman a.k.a. Ricky Caldwell of the Silent Night Deadly Night 2.  One garbage day quote and I will wince. Well just note his death scene made me smile.

With a morning investigative report on Chapman Storage confirming the timeline that it has been one year later. Surviving girl Sarah (Ashley Campbell of Any Body Can Dance 2, Distortion, Guard Dog, The Trust, Death to False Hipsters, Axemas, Drug Z and My Mom's a Joke) feels a bit more Sydney of Scream and less Laurie of Halloween.  Sarah has still been considered a suspect in these brutal murders...OF HER FRIENDS and yet the cops couldn't find enough evidence to link her to the killings. Surprised they just didn't fabricate some evidence, craft a story to fit their needs and then break for lunch.

Just want to meet a guy that doesn't want to ax murder me.

Montey Chapman of Chapman Storages(Phillip Trickey of House of Pain, Clown Motel Massacre and Axemas 2: Blood Slay) is channeling his inner Mayor Vaughn from Jaws, assuring us those weird mishaps of the year prior has just been an isolated incident, units are available to rent and it's a damn fine day...to move heavy objects.

Sarah still haunted of the ghosts of the past; seeks advice and counseling from Laura (Donna Hamblin of Mark of the Astro-Zombies, Killer Biker Chicks, Demon Haunt, Dead Ink, Sinister, Blood Mercury and Project M). The previous events are shrouding her every waking thought.   Plus, dead boyfriend manifesting to creep her is really off putting. Yeah I am relatively sure those are just hallucinations. A bit of dating advice from Laura seems to put Sarah in a better frame of mind. FYI, Sarah. Don't open a conversation with, "Hi I'm Sarah and my last boyfriend was brutally ax murdered by a lunatic in a Santa costume," Pro tip!

With a jaunt to a used bookstore (the intellectuals' hunting ground, ladies) Sarah roams through the aisles in search of MAN...or possibly a good paperback. Maybe some Charlaine Harris. Who knows. Bumbling into each other, Eric (Ben Stobber of Unwritten, The Immortal Wars, Axemas 2; Blood Slay, The Immortal Wars: Resurgence, Dress Code, Art of the Dead, Reversal and Los Angeles Shark Attack) makes his move after startling Sarah with his Dickens. A Christmas Carol that is. Nothing pervy. Sheesh. Hey this easy going guy even gives her a window of opportunity to bounce if he is a boring plebeian. Rock star move, brohan!

No! Go find your own storage unit for that! Ew!

Prepping for the big date, Sarah's nervous. So begins the first dating dance!!! muahahaha!!!! No, I'm not bitter. After cocktails and dinner, Sarah opts for a night cap.   The end of that puts Sarah on familiar stomping grounds.   She awakes for a new night of terror and the killers (oh yes, plural) are going to take their time with Sarah and drag it out.

Did I mention some kids making their way around this place?  You'd think one Santa slaying episode that happened only a year prior would be giving off hot neon light warnings, but hormones never listen.  Darn you pesky kids!! Git outta my murder place!

Fate is a fickle mistress as Tara (The lovely and talented Tommie Vegas of Project M, The Trust, Date Breakers, Party Night, Nite Nite, Can I Kil You?, Virus of the Dead, Vice Squad: Las Vegas and Vice Squad: Chicago) who pulls the greater Hail Mary save, and gets Sarah on her feet. Now they only have to survive the night and run the gauntlet of this massive complex that is no doubt, locked down for the night. Sarah and Tara (Hey that rhymed!) meet up with Tara's boyfriend James (Nicholas Jackman of Party Bus to Hell, Social Girls, Classacts, Finding Sara, The Auction and Murder 4 Dummies).

Both kids are homeless and were just looking for a place to crash but now it looks like murder is filling their stockings tonight. Wow that last line was pretty cheesy. In fear of Uncle Kris, the threesome are trying to find a way to stay alive and must band together to deal with a crazy Santa.

As was previous for the original, this is logged as a short film for an anthology series. We have solid performances, over the top slasher villain, some great gore scenes and good dialogue. This manages to stay within the same old school cut to gore gag shots and actually gives off a bit of terror. With a bit of a Scream and Silent Night Deadly Night 2 theme, this 34 minutes of evil could easily be deemed substantial work. With an easy premise to follow and an environment with proper mood lighting, you could easily see this in a full length feature. Minor CGI spatters, otherwise old school blood packs and bladders. Not surprising that John Ward has kept the same momentum as the first. 

He seems...less jolly.

 

V/H/S Violence

Hey folks, welcome back. Many of you are probably wondering where that Shaft Audio Review is and well...I accidentally deleted it. Yeah so I have to start all over again. But we are not here to talk about that.  SoCal Cinema Studios director/writer/producer Dustin Ferguson (Terror at Black Tree Forest, The Legacy of Boggy Creek, Escape to Black Tree Forest, Black Tree Forest III, Doll Killer, Die Sister, Die, Occult Holocaust, Gloved Murderess, Cheerleader Camp: To the Death and Shockumentary) asked me to give his new tantalizing tales of terror a visit and my thoughts on it. Apparently, he is under the belief that I am a decent writer and who am I to tell him otherwise, right? With an anonymous package of foreboding standing, a young woman decides to dust off her VCR and pop in this tape. This is V/H/S/ Violence.

3 Ninjas Kick Back?  The Hell?

With the trusty JVC working through the tape, our young lady starts to watch this VHS of unknown origin. If the little girl from the Ring pops out, just hook up the VCR to YouTube and share the film ASAP! We get a grainy intro and rocking opening theme. Excellent!!!

You get the general vibe this is an anthology and yup, you would be right. Along with Dustin comes Axemas 1 and 2's very own John Ward, Tony Newton (Welcome to Hell, Halloween Hell Night,Virus of the Dead and O' Bloody Night) Sam Mason-Bell (Toxic Schlock, Home Videos, A Taste of Phobia, Deep Web XXX and 2 Die For) and Jason Impey (The 12 Slays of Christmas, Home Videos, 60 Seconds to Die, Grim Places, Grindsploitation 4: Meltsploitation and Schlock-O-Rama)

Midwestern Art?

When open with a VHS camcorder viewing of what can only be described as a sex/torture dungeon and its various tools of infliction. Could be the beginnings of a snuff movie, could be a private director's collection. Two masked loopies stick and torment a guy they abducted. Or he answered an ad on Craigslist he is regretting in his final moments.

We cut to what looks like a early film school documentary with a buxom British blonde and yes guys, she gets naked. You have no idea how many times I get asked that. Also the cinematographer/director seems to have a vocal distorter on or it was done in post. Cut to a brunette machete chopping away. Looks a bit similar to the one Schuylar Craig used in Camp Blood 4 and 5. Just chaos happening here.

Dishy, right?

A segment looking like an audition in spite of the impatient couch casting director, the girl seems pretty compliant...or is she?

A stalker with a camera and clearly female voice trailing a couple, disgusted by what she sees. You can almost hear the hatred, the confusion and bile building up her moment by moment. Piece by piece. A dark epiphany happens and the girl will see it executed no matter what.

But enough of that darkness, how about a stroll through the local suburbs? Y'know, where everything is normal, happy go lucky and cheery. Appearances can be most deceiving though, can't they? With acts of violence, this film is woven like a dark tapestry. It's ultimate end, who is to say? Showing evil can happen whenever and however it likes, perhaps.

With a collective of new faces in this such as: Valerie Mulligan (Bikini Swamp Girl Massacre, Auteur, Cannabus Confessions, Steve's Garden and Troma presents: Mulligan's Monsters) Selena D (Party Bus to Hell, Meathook Massacre 4, Madame X and The Bread of Wickedness) Julie Anne Prescott (House of Blood, The Lost Girls, Scarred, Meathook Massacre 4, Hell Nurse, BAD ASS ANGELS and DEMONS and Night People) and Robert Mulligan (Bikini Swamp Girl Massacre, No Ordinary BJ, Cannabis Confessions and Steve's Garden)

I still see many a Ferguson regulars to the likes of: Jennii Caroline (Doll Killer, Die Sister, Die!, Gloved Murderess,The Amityville Legacy and Nemesis 5: The New Model) Breanna Mitchell (Cheerleader Camp: To the Death, Silent Night, Bloody Night 2: Revival, Meathook Massacre, Tales for the Campfire, Night of the Clown Meathook Massacre II and Nemesis 5: The New Model) Jared Allen (Cheerleader Camp: To the Death, Invitation to Die, Silent Night, Bloody Night 2: Revival, Demon Dolls and Conjuring Curse) and Justice Strong (Shockumentary and Meathook Massacre)

My only complaint would ruin the scope of the film, the lack of stabilizer was giving this photophobic, a headache. Not a severe one mind you, so nothing too bad there. With a unique blend of CGI post production effects, practical effects and grim story telling; it gives you a morbid fascination of what each tale is being told. A sort of nebulous fable if you will.

With some stories being mischievous, while others downright stygian, this film keeps you guessing if these men and women will ever know justice for their horrific acts.

Let's be clear. There is some creepy stories here but we are not approaching Faces of Death gross out factor. That being said, there is some clever, warped and bizarre segments in this movie and frankly I was impressed how certain components of this elaborate film unnerved me. I would like to see a collaboration like this again.

Professor Bobo could party in college.